Sauté veggies in oil and butter for about 6-8 minutes.Stir in broth and chicken and bring to a soft
boil.Stir in the rest of the
ingredients and simmer covered on low for 30 minutes.Stir cornstarch and ½ cup water together and
slowly pour into soup while stirring.Cover and simmer on low another 10 minutes or so.Great with grilled cheese!Remember, though, the longer a soup simmers,
the better.So if you aren’t in a hurry,
let it simmer on real low heat for a
couple of hours.

Take a water chestnut and a pitted date and wrap in a slice
of bacon; secure with a toothpick and place on a large baking rack. Do this
until you have used all the bacon.Place the baking rack in a large jelly roll pan.You may want to line the pan with foil for
easier cleanup from the bacon grease that drips down. You
will have a few chestnuts and dates left over.Bake at 350 for 25 minutes to 35 minutes or until the bacon is
crisp.Transfer to a 13x9 baking dish
and pour sauce evenly over the appetizers and bake another 8 minutes.Let cool about 10 minutes before
serving.Makes 25 to 30 appetizers.

1 large baking potato, peeled, cubed and then boiled just
until softened

Garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste (about
1T each)

1 t. Thyme

2 boxes of refrigerated pie crusts

10-12 individual casserole dishes

For Crust:

1 egg, beaten

1 t. water

Mix all the above ingredients except the egg, water and pie
crust and simmer on low for about 20 minutes.You may simmer up to an hour.Turn one of the casserole dishes upside down and use a paring knife to
cut the shape of each crust.Pour
mixture into each individually greased dish and place crust on top of
each.Poke a few holes in each crust
with a fork then mix egg and water and brush on top of each crust.Place casserole dishes on 2 large cookie
sheets and bake them at 375 for about 25 minutes or until crust is light
brown.I like to broil mine for just a
minute or two so the crust is nice and crisp.Watch it closely if you broil the top!Let them sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

About Me

My name is Melissa, and my favorite thing to do is cook and experiment with new recipes...it's therapy for me :) I'm not a fancy cook...if I want fancy, I go to a 5-star restaurant :) My recipes are simple, I use every-day-easy ingredients and they tastes delicious! Family dinners are so important to me, and some of our best times and talks have been around the dinner table with my husband and 2 children. My purpose for this blog is to encourage and inspire you to have more time around your dinner table with your own family, while they enjoy and rave over the home-cooked meal you prepared for them! I have a cooking show called Dream Home Cooking which airs in North Alabama every Sunday morning on WAAY 31 at 9:30a.m. I also write a weekly food column for the Madison Record.